Wallabies player ratings: Ill-discipline and James O’Connor errors prove ‘costly’ as Australia not helped by ‘moody teenager’
James O'Connor in action for the Wallabies against the All Blacks and Harry Potter yellow carded by referee Andrea Piardi.
Following a 33-24 defeat to the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship clash at Eden Park on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the Wallabies.
15 Max Jorgensen: Not quite the same potency at full-back while he was exploited under the high ball by the All Blacks in the first half before improving after the break. Some nice touches and at times threatened to break free, but he was well shackled. 6
14 Harry Potter: It was an utterly abysmal start from the wing, who made a few errors, but his try, which came from a nice line, seemed to settle him down and he was so much better after that, despite his late yellow card following a series of team indiscretions. 5
13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii: Struggled to make an impact in the game as New Zealand managed to wrap him up nicely in the tackle. It continues to be a mystery why the Wallabies do not make more of his aerial presence, however. 6
12 Len Ikitau: Superb from the bustling centre, who was immense throughout as he carried hard and pretty much always got over the gain line. The Wallabies looked to go direct and Ikitau was their most effective player in that regard. 8
11 Corey Toole: Very few chances for Toole to stretch his legs. Didn’t quite make the errors of wing partner Potter but neither did he manage to impact the game in any way. 5
Costly errors
10 James O’Connor: It feels harsh giving O’Connor a low score as there were plenty of nice moments and he was central to their response at the end of the first half, but key errors killed the visitors. Two kicks failed to reach touch from penalties while he also kicked out on the full from the restart. 4
9 Tate McDermott: Didn’t have enough time on the field to really assess his display. One break aside, McDermott was made redundant due to the All Blacks’ dominance before he was forced off. N/A
8 Harry Wilson (c): Desperately needs to improve his rapport with referees as he acts like a moody teenager at times but, other than that, the number eight was excellent once again after putting in a mammoth shift. 7
7 Fraser McReight: Similar to Wilson, McReight was everywhere as the loose trio kept the Wallabies in the game with some fine work around the field. 7
6 Tom Hooper: A big, bruising performance from Hooper, who won a fair few collisions against a sizeable All Blacks pack. He has stood up massively this season and continues to get better. 8
Sheer physicality
5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto: Similar to Hooper, the gargantuan lock produced a fine display for the Wallabies, helping them in the physical battle and the set-piece. Is surely here to stay after being left on the sidelines for a long time by Joe Schmidt this year. 8
4 Nick Frost: Couldn’t quite make the impact in the lineout like he has in previous games as the All Blacks set-piece went smoothly. Was busy throughout but wasn’t as abrasive as the rest of the back five. 6
3 Taniela Tupou: Another frustratingly ineffective display from Tupou, who is not the presence in the loose he used to be. Despite being a huge unit, he was often shunted backwards. 5
2 Billy Pollard: Stood up nicely this weekend, with this lineout work excellent and his efforts in the loose very much helping his side. 7
1 James Slipper Rolled back the years with a busy performance. Slipper wasn’t particularly troubled in the scrum while he worked very hard in the loose. 7
Replacements: Credit to Ryan Lonergan on debut, who was excellent, while Angus Bell and Allan Alaalatoa held up the scrum, with the former also busy around the field. However, some were just a bit too enthusiastic when they came on and it harmed them in the final quarter. Some starters were also guilty of some needless errors, but the bench couldn’t quite take them to a historic win. 5